Stan Watt back in the saddle

Exactly 7 days after knee surgery, Stan Watt from Front Row GB gently tries out the strength of his left leg/knee plus the new KTM690 Enduro R as a realistic dirt bike for round 1 of the SCEC.

Although, in theory Stan should be nowhere near ready to start training, never mind throw his leg over a dirt bike, and definitely not a combination of the unknown territory where 70hp+ meets with lattice frame, fuel injection and a 6 mile enduro loop at Inside Park, in Dorset.

With the Southern Counties Enduro Club running round 1 of their 2009 championship on Sunday 29th February, Stan took the opportunity to assess if he could physically circulate at the event for three hours and see if the KTM690 Enduro R was a machine he could use for the full 3hours Hare and Hounds race.

The initial test was promising to say the least and Stan found the bike surprisingly manageable over the course, with exceptional power delivery to a point where standard suspension struggled

to allow the transfer of power adequately to form positive grip.

A standard set of '09 front forks were inserted into the 690R with great success, allowing the front suspension more travel and able to soak up anything the course threw at it. Rear suspension is a struggle as the standard unit limits adjustment. An attempt is being made prior to the event tomorrow to make an adequate rear shock available, purely with a view for testing purposes.

Further evaluations by the Team of the 690 Enduro R will continue throughout 2009 putting it through situations it probably wasn't initially intended for. As a start point views are positive but only time and distance will provide accurate information.

Anyone directly interested in the KTM690 Enduro R and the Team's findings, then do no hesitate to contact any member of Front Row GB.

If you want to see the Enduro R in action, just drop in at Inside Park, 1 mile out of Blandford on the A354 towards Dorchester, in Dorset. Start time is 11am and Stan will be riding his usual n0.62

We are keeping expectations fairly real as Stan's priority is not to further damage his left knee after only 8 days from surgery. This event will be classed as a test session for bike and rider plus we are really only looking at Stan be back to full strength for the Snow Run in mid-April if we are lucky.

FRGB